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Hidayat and Gade on course for Sydney semi-final duel
September 07, 2000 - Source : IBF
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The stage is set for an epic East meets West semi-final clash at the Olympic Games, with top seed Taufik Hidayat of Indonesia seeded to meet Denmark's golden boy Peter Gade in the Sydney 2000 draw, released today.
But first, Hidayat, 19, will have to get past Japan's Hidetaka Yamada and then will most likely face Malaysia's Ong Ewe Hock for a place in the quarter-finals - the two met in a tense final at the Indonesiawhere the Indonesian came out on top in straight games.
The modest second seed Hendrawan, coy about his chances in Sydney, must get past Hong Kong's Tam Kai Chuen in the round of 32, and should then meet the on-form Pulella Gopichand who ruffled a few feathers at the Malaysiaafter ousting local hero Ong Ewe Hock.
The match to watch in the early rounds has to be the reigning Olympic champion Poul-Erik Hoyer against World Champion Sun Jun. Despite not having come close to winning a tournament since this World Championship title in May 1999, Sun's rivals are well aware of the damage he could inflict if he's on top form.
Third seed Peter Gade should breeze through his early matches - his first match is against the African contender Denis Constantin, after which he's likely to meet Fung Permadi. Fourth seed Xia Xuanze will take on Japan's Keita Masuda.
In the Women's Singles, the in-form Chinese top seed, Gong Zhichao, will face Hong Kong's Ling Wan Ting in her first match, and is drawn to meet fourth seeded teammate Ye Zhaoying in the semi-finals.
Second seed and World Champion Camilla Martin should have a straightforward first couple of rounds - she's drawn against Indonesia's Ellen Angelina, and then will most likely face a tough battle against Great Britain's Kelly Morgan who pushed her hard at the Glasgow European Championships last April.
Morgan's first round opponent will be Aparna Popat of India, recently back to competition after a three-month ban for a minor doping offence. Although a tough competitor under normal circumstances, Popat's lack of match practice may well be her downfall in Sydney.
Atlanta silver medallist Mia Audina, playing for her new country the Netherlands, should also have a clear run to the quarter-finals, where she's most likely to come up against Camilla Martin.
Top seeds Candra Wijaya and Tony Gunawan are up against Denmark''s Michael Sogaard and Jim Laugesen in their first match of the Men's Doubles event, while the second seeded Korean pair Lee Dong Soo and Yoo Yong Sung are tipped to play Great Britain's Chris Hunt and Julian Robertson, who must first overcome Eddy Clarisse and Denis Constantin of Mauritius.
World Champions Ha Tae Kwon and Kim Dong Moon, seeded fourth will face either Cheah Soon Kit and Yap Kim Hock, silver medallist in Atlanta, or China's Yu Jinhao and Chen Qiqiu - the winner of that match will play Olympic champions Ricky Achmad Subgdja and Rexy Mainaky.
Ge Fei and Gu Jun, gold medallists four years ago, are firm favourites to take Olympic glory for a second time. Their first match will be against Taipei's Chen Li-Chin and Tsai Hui-Min or Yim Kyung Jin and Lee Hyo Jung of Korea, but are likely to be untroubled until the semi-finals. Then they're seeded to meet Great Britain''s Joanne Goode and Donna Kellogg, the number four seeds who are on superb form after some strong performances at the tough Asian Grand Prix events over the past two months.
The second seeded Chinese pair Huang Nanyan and Yang Wei will most likely face Thailand's Sujitra Ekmongkolpaisarn and Saralee Thungthongkam in their first match of the tournament, while third seeded Koreans Ra Kyung Min and Chung Jae Hee should walk through their first match. They'll face either Joanne Davies and Sarah Hardaker of Great Britain, or Indonesia's Eliza Nathanael and Deyana Lomban.
In the Mixed event, Kim Dong Moon will be hoping for a second Olympic gold, this time with partner Ra Kyung Min - they're unlikely to face any real trouble until the semi-finals, where they're seeded to meet Denmark's Michael Sogaard and Rikke Olsen.
Indonesia's top seeds Tri Kusharyanto and Minarti Timur are liable to meet Ha Tae Kwon and Chung Jae Hee in the first round.
Make sure you follow all the Olympic action in the run-up, and all throughout the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games here at www.worldbadminton.net |
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Other news:
» Hafiz to take three-week break
» Memories of… the 2002 Thomas and Uber Cup Finals
» Gopi to lead India in Commonwealth Games
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